Biblegateway Verse of the Day

The (Un)Biblical Approach to God

By Benjamin H. Liles

The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt,
they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good. ~ Psalm 14:1, New American Standard

I'm switching things up a little today. Recently, I read an article about how an atheist displayed a Bible verse to prove the point that God is an angry, mean, and hateful God. But wait, aren't atheists in denial that God exists? That's my point for this article.

The name of that article is Atheist Displays Bible Verse about Women on Truck to Prove a Point. In the article, the author of the piece says this, "Christians, however, say the verse is taken out of context. 'As you look
at that, you can definitely see it is completely taken out of context,' said Joey Anthony, pastor of Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church. 'Especially
when you think about what the Bible says.'"

By saying what I am I know I'm stepping into a controversial topic. There are some, within their right, to think, feel, and have an opinion as they do. But--and this is not that huge a leap--if God doesn't exist, at least in the atheist's mind, then there is no evil, there's no enemy distorting God's word, right?

We're given the Bible, God's word, to show us our state before a just and holy God, but we're without Him. God expressly told Adam and Eve, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely;but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die" (Genesis 2:16-17, New American Standard). And yet we read in the next chapter, "Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1).

I'm actually going to contend here, within this article, that proves Paul's point: a darkened heart doesn't know anything about God; this is why an unbeliever will have an unbiblical approach to God. john, at the beginning of his gospel account of Jesus tells us, "The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:5, Berean Study). The word that is used as overcome in this last verse, in the Greek, it's meaning is "seize tight hold of, overtake, comprehend."

So, I find this is a question to be asked: can a mind that doesn't know God, much less believe God exists, truly make the claim that God and His word are a "hateful, hateful piece of work which Christians try to turn around and they talk about love?" (Atheist Displays Bible Verse). John tells us plainly, "The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love" (1 John 4:8, Holman Christian Standard).

And that's the whole thing. How can someone who claims the Bible's words, God's words, are hateful when they don't know Him? The guy states he doesn't believe there's a God. He took only part of a verse, "The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted
to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says" (1 Corinthians 14:34, New American Standard). It seems the guy was picking and choosing what he wanted from the Bible to prove his point. However, he made no point.

Friends, you who read these articles, I want you to know and see what real evil is. Satan exists. He is so very real God gave us a true and dear weapon: His word, to counter every base statement the Devil has toward us. Claiming there is no God is basically the same as saying, "There is no Devil." It's a very humanistic viewpoint. I want to look at one last thing to show you what I mean by humanistic.

"All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar.At the end of 12 months, as he was walking on the roof of the royal palace in Babylon, the
king exclaimed, “Is this not Babylon the Great that I have built by my
vast power to be a royal residence and to display my majestic glory?" (Daniel 4:28-30, Holman Christian Standard). Humanism seeks to exalt the person, rather than seeing God glorified. In itself humanism is akin to religions which raise man above God. Doesn't this sound familiar? "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit. Those who see you will gaze at you, and consider you, saying: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world as a wilderness and destroyed its cities, who did not open the house of his prisoners?’" (Isaiah 14:12-17, New King James). Unless we have a heart change, asking God to renew and transform our minds, will we be able to see the darkness for what it is: extremely dark. The light of the truth exposes it for what it is. When Jesus Christ comes back in His glory to conquer the nations and put the powers of Hell on display will it fully be seen of who the real enemy is. God is not Someone to be trifled with. "Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the
soul. Rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28). True separation from God is what Hell is. There is no blood, water, no life in Hell whatsoever. For what it is worth, choose God. Choose to believe Him and His works. Our works are nothing more than dirty rags. We cannot work our way to salvation (see Isaiah 64:6). We have an obligation to ourself, with the help of God's Spirit, to be completely real and honest He exists. Just because we don't feel Him near doesn't mean He's not near. We need to have faith. We're told, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who
approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who
earnestly seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6, Berean Study). Be earnest in seeking God. Stand on the solid rock of God's word, which is Jesus Christ. Let Him be your firm foundation; an everlasting cornerstone of the faith of all. Be purposeful in allowing God's word to work in and through your life. Allow Him to be known to you. Just because you feel He's not near you doesn't mean He's given up. It's a means to keep walking by faith. "Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture" (Luke 8:6, New King James). When testing comes make sure you are so firmly entrenched in the water of God's word that you cannot do anything else but keep putting roots downward to keep a tap on Him. Without that you will be like the seed that fell on the path, which sprang up, and when the fiery trials come you just fall astray. Don't be that person.

Father, God, You are holy, just, and pure. Help me to keep my heart pure before You. Keep my feet on the path You have before me. I turn so many different ways each and every day that I know it grieves You when I step away from You. Help me to keep walking in the same way and fashion You have. I want less of me and more of You. You are my daily bread, and I thank You for the provision found in Your Son, Jesus Christ. I acknowledge my sins, which are many, and forsake them for Your names sake. I want You to be known. I want You to be mine. I thank You for the work You have done through Your Son, Jesus Christ. He took the nails so I wouldn't have to. He bore what no other man could do because of who He is and in relation to You. Thank You for the righteousness that is found within Jesus. Thank You for clothing me for righteousness, and taking away my filth and unrighteousness. It's more than what I truly needed. You are a gift, God. I praise You for all You do. In Jesus' name. Amen.